The Dispatch

Prim reads everything from the world of American Mahjong, so you don't have to.

Volume 2026 August 8

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The Dispatch for August 8, 2026Today’s Dispatch →

For Beginners

A Woodbury parks department books American mahjong through December

The Connecticut town has scheduled four separate beginner sessions, the next one starting 17 August, and each one requires the 2026 card.

The Parks and Recreation Department of Woodbury, Connecticut lists an American Mahjong Introductory Course running in four separate sessions across the rest of the year.

Per the listing, the sessions are 17 to 25 August, 19 to 27 October, 2 to 10 November, and 7 to 15 December. Classes meet Mondays and Tuesdays from 6:45pm to 8:45pm at the Rec. House, cost $70 for residents and non residents alike, and are open to ages 18 and up. The instructor is named as Leigh Hall Wilhelm.

The page states that students must also purchase a 2026 Player's Card if they do not already own one, and links to the National Mah Jongg League store to buy it.

Four sessions booked in advance is a different signal from one class offered to see who turns up. A town department scheduling into December is a department that already knows the seats will fill.

Read more at Woodbury Parks and Recreation →

More from the table

Tile Envy

A Chinese factory town retools for the American card, and about 30 new workshops open in a year

A report from Taixing describes makers redesigning tiles for American play, with one workshop moving from 20 American sets a year to 200 a day.

August 8, 2026 · Sixth Tone

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At the Table

Three Berkshire libraries turn Monday afternoons over to the tiles

A local paper counts the rooms where western Massachusetts is learning the game, and one of them drew 44 players in a single month.

August 8, 2026 · The Berkshire Eagle

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